Yes, Republican legislators want to punish a public university for students' speech.

Again, Republicans who decry political correctness want to prescribe correct behavior for others.

Again, Republicans who don't understand that government and its institutions are proscribed from retaliating against speech to which they object.

Again, the women's coach, Jimmy Dykes, has served as a brave and clear voice of reason. After the game, he said he had his players' backs. In a talk Monday, he elaborated. he said he personally stands for the anthem and would encourage others to do so, too. But he's talked repeatedly with his players. He understands their concerns. He's counseled them about consequences, not always good ones. But he said:

To be perfectly clear, my support is of our 14 tremendously strong young women, six who declared to kneel and eight who stood and their ability to express themselves and support each other. I'm so proud of how they worked through a very difficult topic for them.

We all can be proud of Jimmy Dykes. Alan Clark and Kim Hammer? Not so much. Obtuseness is a part of the problem. After I unloaded on Clark on Twitter, he responded to criticism:

click to enlarge

I don't know about the other liberals who might have criticized Clark. But in my case, I don't protest his protest. He may protest to his tiny heart's content. What he might not do is use the might of government to suppress speech he doesn't like by punishing the players, their coaches or the university where they study. It couldn't be simpler.

An Arkansas anti-abortion law is a phony. It's about ending abortion, not protecting women and a New York Times writer says it could present an important case for the U.S. Supreme Court.

Readers also liked…

Donald Trump gave a remarkable interview to the New York Times yesterday in which he declared open season on the marriage of Bill and Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton's past infidelity. Seems like a loser, but I've been wrong before.

It was not even 24 hours ago that Sophia Said, director of the Interfaith Center; City Director Kathy Webb and others decided to organize a protest today of Donald Trump's executive order that has left people from Muslim countries languishing in airports or unable to come to the US at all — people with visas, green cards,a post-doc graduate student en route to Harvard, Google employees abroad, families. I got the message today before noon; others didn't find out until it was going on. But however folks found out, they turned out in huge numbers, more than thousand men, women and children, on the grounds of the state Capitol to listen to speakers from all faiths and many countries.

The State Police say Brett McCullough, 52, of Hot Springs, was killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding a bicycle about 8:47 p.m. Wednesday on Highway 70 West (Airport Road) in Hot Springs.

Arkansas Court of Appeals Judge Bart Virden of Morrilton, who narrowly survived attack ads by an outside partisan group supporting his opponent for re-election to a nonpartisan seat, doesn't intend to let the matter drop.

KFSM reports that the Benton County Election Commission will recount votes today in two squeaky state House races where incumbents are currently on top by scant margins.

The Arkansas Supreme Court continues to grapple, with divisions, on how to square new federal and state law on resentencing people who got life without parole sentences for capital crimes committed when they were minors.

Enjoy these photos from today's dedication and re-installation of a new Ten Commandments monument. The first iteration of the monument was installed last June but destroyed within the next 24 hours when it was rammed by a man in a Dodge Dart.